Sydney to Brisbane Road Trip: Byron Bay

I'm trying to recall Byron Bay, I really need to get up to date, once and for all. I have a million excuses, none very interesting, so here goes.
We drove into Byron Bay (I think I remember that), and booked in to a campsite on the edge of town. It had a large security fence and required a $200 deposit, we wondered what we were letting ourselves in for. A lot of the campground (huge area) was flooded and unfortunately the rain continued to fall.
We set up camp, as usual Paul cooking a great meal and played a game of cards. The following day I decided to do the walk a few people had recommended to me to Cape Byron, to the point where Captain Cook landed and the Eastern most point of Australia. It is also possible to spot dolphin pods, but unfortunately they evaded me.

Byron Bay

The walk was really beautiful and I spotted my first snake in the wild, but didn't stick around to identify it.


Cape Byron Lighthouse

Byron Bay itself is a beach town, with some upmarket "artsy" shops and a lot of bars and restaurants. If I wasn't on a budget I probably would have liked it more.
The guys decided to hit the town for the evening, but I felt like a quiet one, so stayed back at the campsite. Unfortunately it all went a bit wrong at this point. That evening Paul (after a few shandies) got into a fight with a wooden post and lost. The following morning I was really shocked and concerned to see a Paul I didn't recognise, with a swollen mouth and wobbly teeth.
I felt really bad for Paul, but when he looked in a mirror to check out the damage himself and said "I look like the 80's TV character Alf", all I could do was laugh and then feel guilty and then laugh some more.


Gary, Jelmer and Paul at the gates of our campsite in Byron Bay

Gary and I decided to take a little trip to Nimbin. Nimbin is a very small town with a big reputation. In the early seventies a bunch of hippies arrived in the rural community for a festival and never left. They decided to create the good life for themselves. Today Nimbin is famous for being the only place in Australia where the police turn a blind eye to the selling of marijuana. We arrived as many of the day trippers were leaving and some of the scarier looking residents where out and about.


The Streets of Nimbin

I did spot this, and thought of you Mum,


From Byron Bay we drove to Surfers Paradise, which is an Australian version of Benidorm, high rises and a busy beach.

Surfers Paradise

It was at Surfers Paradise that I parted company with the guys and made my way to Brisbane, with the plan of finding work and staying for a while.